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(No Model.) 2 SheetsSh eet 1.

v T. B. HERZOG. AUTOMATIG GALL FOR LATENT SIGNAL TRANSMITTER? N0.315,783. Patented Apr. 14, 1885.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

Patented Apr. 14, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrca F. BENEDICT HERZOG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC CALL FOR LATENT-SIGNAL TRANSMITTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent DIG. 315,783, dated April 14, 1885.

Application filed March 5, 1885. (no model i To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, F. BENEDICT Hnnzoo, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Calls for Latent-Signal Trans mitters, of which the following is a specification.

In Letters Patent No. 289,834, issued to me December 11, 1883, I have described an automatic variable electric signaling-instrument applicable to telephone and many other uses, the main feature of which is that, although the instrument may be set at one station to transmit a desired signal to another, yet the signal, when so set, will not be sent to the re ceiving-station by the sending-operator or by the actor at the moment of setting it, (as is the casein all instruments of the kind known generally as transmitters;) but my instrument retains the signal as set in a latent state, ready to be released, until it is so released, directly or indirectly, from the receiving-station by an operator who, if he desires to discover at what signal the instrument is set, actuates certain releasing mechanism, whereupon, if the instrument has been set to transmit any signal, that signal would be transmitted to the receiving-station without any further cooperation of the sending-operator after he has once prepared the signal. In this and in contemporaneous applications I call such an instrument a latent-signal transmitter, for the reason that the signal so set remains latent until released by the action of the receiving-operator.

In Division A of this application of mine, filed Xovemo'er 20, 1884, I have shown that it is desirable in many instances that the operator at the sending-station should be enabled to signal to the receiving-station that the latentsignal transmitter has been set and is ready to be released, and to operate as soon as the receivingoperator is ready to receive its signal, and that in any such event'it is indis pensable thatthe said signal or call shall be sent without releasing or affecting the latent signal transmitter.

The object of the invention for which the above-mentioned application is made is to provide, broadly, for that contingency; and to this end it, consists in combining with the in strumentalities hereinbefore referred to a calling apparatus at the sending-station, an instrumentality to respond to that call at the receiving-station, and circuit-connections organized and arranged that the two stations can be brought into electrical communication whenever desired without releasing or affecting the latent-signal transmitter. This result is attained by means particularly described in that application, and by various modifications thereof, as suggested therein, and as particularly described and claimed in various other applications for these modifications, among which are applications filed September 29, 1884, October 25, 1884, December 1, 1884, and February 12, 1885.

I have found that in many instances the operator who sets the latent-signal transmitter at the sending-station, and whose duty it is to operate the calling apparatus to inform the receiving-station that the latent-signal transmitter is set, forgets or neglects this duty, and that it is therefore desirable that means should be provided so that this call shall be operated without fail.

The object of this present invention is to provide, broadly, for that contingency; and to this end it consists in combining with the instrumentalities hereinbefore referred to calling apparatus at the sending-station so organized and arranged with respect to the latentsignal transmitter that the act of setting the latter to transmit its signal automatically operates the call, which informs the receivingstation that the transmitter is set, ready to be released.

I shall for the sake of convenience describe and illustrate this herein only in connection with the apparatus and circuits particularly shown and described in the above-named application, No. 148,374, (of which this applica tion is a division,) and the subject matter whereof I do not claim herein.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents the arrangement of circuits, showing the applica tion of my invention to a system in which two or more substations are supplied with my latent-signal transmitter and calling apparatus, and a central station is supplied with apparatus for releasing and responding to said latent-signal transmitter and calling apparatus, and in which one of the sub-stations is supplied, in addition, with a new form of my automatic calling apparatus, which form is operating the call according to my invention.

In my description of the mode of operation I shall refer to the system as if it were'situated in a hotel, although it is equally applicable to telephone-exchange and other uses. Each guests room or branch office (as many as desired) is connected by a separate ci'rcuit,a b 0, &c., with the central or clerks ofiice, situated either in the same or another building. Each of these individual circuits includes a latent-signal transmitter, A B O,&c., acircuit-changing button or key, d e f, &c., placed in the guests room, together with a circuit-changing device, as a spring-jack, D E F, 850., and an annunciator, H I J, & c., placed at the clerks office. After passing through the annunciators, all the circuits unite, as shown, and then lead through a bell, K, which rings (and continues to ring, if desired) when the annunciator is dropped inorder to call theat-tention of the clerk. From this bell the circuit leads through a battery, L, of sufficient strength to work the annunciators in the usual manner, the other end of which is connected with a ground or metallic return circuit, Z, which also extends to and connects with all the guests rooms, as shown. This return-wire, together with the separate ann unciator-circuits to each room, forms a complete annunciator system, by which any guest can call the office by simply depressing his key d ef, &c., the effect of which is to close his individual circuit by connecting it with the common return-circuit, as clearly seen from the drawings. Normally, the keys at e f, &c., cons ncct with their upper contact-points, asshown, so that the individual circuits lead through the guests transmitter A B O, &c., and thence through a common return-circuit back to the clerk.s'oftice, whence it leads through abattery, M, and a receiving-instrument, N, the

other end of this instrument being connected to the spring-jack plug a, insulated on the under side, so that by thrusting this plug into any particular spring-jack the individual circuit is. brokenthrough the annunciator and connected with the receiving-instrument N andbattery M.

The latent-signal transmitter. consists of the clock-work transmitter shown in detail in Fig. 2, the signal being transmittedby a breakwheel in circuit in the well-known manner, ind the escapement being controlled. by an slectro-magnet, alsfi iiiiscluded in the circuit, as gown, and as tall sdescribed in an applicaion filedbyme SE ti. &Patent Office, Septeni leases them one by one as rapidly as desired.

ber 29, 1884.. (I consider this reference as being sufficient to describe such details of the transmitter as are not essential to the operation of my present invention.)

The instrument is set by the spindle O. which projects through the dial from the front of the box and carries a knob and pointer for setting it to send the desired signal. It will be understood that when the spindle is turned to the right in setting it, it carries with it the break-wheel and winds up the usual actuatingspring without moving the escapement-gear, with which it is connected by a ratchet, as transmitters are ordinarily constructed, thus allowing the spindle to be set, but not to unwind without carrying with it the escapement. Each transmitter A B O, &c., is constructed, as l have described, the circuit leading through the break-wheel and contact-spring in the ordinary way, and thence through the releasing electro-magnet or mechanism. 7

The present operation of the hotel system to which my present invention is to be applied will now be understood. Suppose a guest wishes to call for a coup, for example. He sets the pointer of his instrument over the word coupe on the dial, and then presses the calling-key D, (which of course may be made in the form of anattachable push-button,or made a part of the transmitter,for convenience, if preferred.) This operates the corresponding annunciator,H,and calls the at- UGIJlJiOIlzOf the clerk. The clerkthereupon, as soon as he is. ready to receive the signal, introduces the plug a in the spring -jack D,. which introduces the battery M and receiver N into the circuit, and causes the guests transmitter to be released and sends in its conventional signal, (which willbe understood by the clerk, and inthis case will mean coup.)

A sounder of any kind of receiving-instrument N may be used,- but I prefer to employ a visual indicator provided wit-h a dial and pointer, as shown, which follows the pointer of thetransmitter, and is driven by the impulses in the well-known step-by-step manner, so that the clerk is enabled to see at a glance without counting what the signal is, thus avoiding mistakes and saving time.

As there is normally no current in any of the transmitter-circuits, the return-circuit m being open at the clerks office, the transmitters may be set,and will remain so without being released when the keys d e f, &c., are de pressed to call the clerks office, these keys simply acting to close the individual circuits through the common return-circuits, l, without affecting the transmitters, which are operated on an independent return-circuit,m.

Any number of guests may set their transmitters simultaneously without interference, because the signals are not received until the clerk is ready to receive them, when he re- At the same time the guest, by observing the pointerof thetransmitter or listening tothe noise of the clock-work as'it unwinds, can tell that the clerk has released his instrumentand that his wants are being attended to. a

The apparatus thus far described is fully described and claimed in the application referred to, and I do not claim such apparatus, broadly, herein.

In order to arrange the apparatus according to my present invention, so that the mere act of setting any transmitter automatically operates the calling apparatus and annnnciator at the clerks office, I fix to the frame of the clock-work in the path of the arm 0 an insulated flexible flat spring, T, electricallyconnected with a binding-post, t, with which the return calling-circuitlconnects. The arm 0, being in connection with the metal frame which is connected with the individual circuit to the clerks office, sweeps against and past the spring P in setting the instrument and momentarily closes the calling-circuit, producing the same elfect as if thekeyf were pressed.

To prevent the circuit again being closed when the arm turns back as the instrument unwinds, I fix a piece of insulating material on the end of the arm 0, as shown, which bears against this spring and projects beyond the end of the arm sutficiently to prevent the spring touching the metal of the arm as it slips over its end from the position shown in the dotted lines and springs back to normal position.

In the drawings I have also shown the usual independent keys or switches for calling the clerk by hand. These I retain in case that my automatic call should become accidentally disarranged.

I have described my invention as applied to the form of latent transmitter and the arrangement-s of circuits which are particularly shown in the application of November 20, 1884, Serial No. 148,37l, of which application the present is a division, but I do not mean to limit myself to the form thereof herein shown, nor to its application to any particular construction of latentsignal transmitter or arrangements of circuits therefor.

I have shown other forms of my automatic call applied to differentlyconstructed 1atentsignal transmitters and other circuits in my applications of September 29, 188&, October 25, 1884, original case, (of which this is a division,) and other divisions thereof, (which I propose to file at about even date herewith,) and February 12,1885. In none of these do I claim an automatic call, broadly, and in this application I do not claim any of the constructions of this automatic call which are shown in any of the above-mentioned applications.

YVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a latent signal transmitter at a sending-station, means to re lease it, and apparatus to respond to it and to calling apparatus at a distant station, and suitable circuit-connections between these two stations, of an automatic circuitcontrolling call-transmitter-at the sending-station,actutant station, and the other circuit including callreceiving apparatus at the receiving-station, and an automatic circuit-controlling calltransmitter at the first station, actuated by the latent-signal transmitter, whereby the operation of the latter necessarily informs the receiving-station that the transmitter has been set, substantially as described.

3. The combination of acircuit, including alatentsignal transmitter at a sending-station, means for releasing it, and apparatus for receiving its signal at a distant station, and an additional return-circuit including a call-receiver at a distant station, and at the sendingstation an automatic circuitcontrolling calltransmitter controlled by the actuation of the latent-signal transmitter, whereby the receiving-station is necessarily informed that the latent-signal transmitter is set, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a signaling system consisting of a central station electrically connected with two or moresub-stations, a latentsignal transmitter at each sub-station, apparatus to release it and respond to it at the central station, calling apparatus at the sub-stations, and a call-receiving annunciator or indicator at the central station, together with means at the sub-stations whereby the actuation of the latcnt-si gnal transmitter automatically operates the calltransmitter, thus actuating the annunciator and informing the receiving-operator that the latent-signal transmitter is set, ready to be released, substantially as described.

5. The combination of two or more separate circuits radiating from a central station, each circuit including asub-station at which isa latent-signal transmitter, the central station at which is apparatus for releasing any desired one of the latent transmitters and for receiving its signal, together with an annunciator or indicator to indicate when a call is received, and an additional return circuit or circuits connecting at the central office with the annunciator, and at the sending-station with an automatic circuit-controlling calltransmitter actuated by the signal-transmitter to automatically connect the circuits, and thereby operate the annunciator, whereby the receiving-operator is informed that a latent transmitter is set and ready to be released, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a spring-actuated automatic signal-transmitter at a sending-sta- ICC tion, a call-receiver at the receiving-station, I 8. The combination, with anautomatic sigand suitable circuit-connections between the two stations, of an automatic circuit-controlling call-transmitter'at the sending-station, actuated by the signal-transmitter when it is being wound, but not again operated by it at its unwinding, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a latent transmitter, of the arm R, fixed to its spindle, and of the spring T, fixed to the frame in the path of the said arm, so that the arm makes electrical connection with the spring T in being set forward, substantially as described.

nal-transmitter, of the arm R,fixed to the spindle and tipped with an insulating-block, as shown, and of the spring 1?,fixed to the frame of the instrument in the path of the said arm, so that the arm makes electrical connection with the spring when turned in one direction 20 and does not when turned in the other, substantially as described.

F.'BENEDIGT HERZOG. Witnesses:

J. D. OHEEVER, G. B. FRENCH. 

